The current research status of the removal of methyl mercaptan , which is a kind of sulfur- containing volatile organic compound, was introduced in this paper.The active centers and corresponding reaction/deactivation mechanisms were analyzed. Based on a series of characterization techniques such as XPS and H2-TPR, reactive oxygen species, redox sites and acid-basic sites were considered as the main active centers for catalytic decomposition of methyl mercaptan. To solve the catalyst poisoning problem, it is suggested to convert the catalyst sulfur poisoning into coke poisoning, and then solve the coke poisoning by adding different metal additives and replacement carriers to regulate the active centers.